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OTOPLASTY BEVERLY HILLS & SANTA BARBARA

Ear Surgery Overview

Dr. Brent of Moelleken Plastic Surgery says that if protruding or disﬁgured ears bother you or your child, you may consider plastic surgery. Ear surgery, or Otoplasty, can improve the shape, position or proportion of the your ear. It can correct a defect the structure that is present at birth, that becomes apparent with development, or it can treat misshapen ears caused by injury or previous surgeries. Dr. Moelleken believes that ear surgery should create a natural shape, while bringing balance and proportion to your ears and face. Correction of even minor deformities can have profound beneﬁts to your appearance and self-esteem.

There are four basic steps when performing the Otoplasty procedure:

Step 1 – Anesthesia
Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedure. The choices include local, intravenous sedation or general anesthesia and Dr. Moelleken will recommend the best choice for you.

Step 2 – The incision
Correction of protruding ears uses surgical techniques to create or increase the antihelical fold (just inside the rim of the ear) and to reduce enlarged conchal cartilage (the largest and deepest concavity of the external ear). Incisions for Otoplasty are generally made on the back surface of the ear. When incisions are necessary on the front of the ear, they are made within its folds to hide them. Internal, non-removable sutures are used to create and secure the newly shaped cartilage in place.

Step 3 – Closing the incisions
External stitches close the incision. Techniques are individualized, taking care not to distort other structures and to avoid an unnatural “pinned back” appearance.

Step 4—Enjoying your results
Ear surgery offers near immediate results in cases of protruding ears, visible once the dressings that support the new shape of the ear during initial phases of healing are removed. With the ear permanently positioned closer to your head, surgical scars are either hidden behind the ear or well hidden in the natural creases of your ear.

The decision to have ear surgery is extremely personal and you will have to decide if the procedure will help you achieve your goals. To help you through this process, Dr. Moelleken and his professional staff at Neo Surgery Center, with their excellent training and extensive experience, will explain in detail the benefits as well as the risks associated with your surgery. Dr. Moelleken encourages you to ask questions because any successful surgical outcome is the result of good rapport between patient and surgeon. Trust, based on Dr. Moelleken’s expertise and your expectations, develops in the consulting stages before your surgery and he will compassionately listen to all of your concerns. With the increasing popularity of various cosmetic surgery procedures, including ear surgery, it is imperative that you research and understand the different issues involved. He understands that is it natural to feel some anxiety, whether it is excitement for your anticipated new look or preoperative stress jitters. He does not want you to be shy about discussing any of your feelings and during the consultation, he will ask you your reasons for wanting ear surgery, evaluate your current ear condition, and explain what can and cannot be accomplished. He will perform a thorough examination of your ears, assessing which parts of your ear cartilages contribute to their protruding, and for each part to what degree. After this, Dr. Moelleken will use digital photography and computer imaging software to simulate how you will look after surgery.

You will receive instructions on how to prepare for your procedure and you will be assured that Dr. Moelleken and his assisting staff will fully attend to all of your comfort and safety needs. You will be given speciﬁc guidelines regarding how to take care of your ears following surgery, medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection, and when to schedule your follow-up visit. Abiding by all of your instructions is key to the success of your surgery and it is very important that your incisions are not subjected to excessive force, abrasion, or motion during your healing period.

If you are considering this procedure for your child, during your consultation Dr. Moelleken will evaluate your child’s condition before recommending the safest and most effective technique. He will give you specific instructions on how to prepare your child for surgery and suggest the most suitable time for the operation. Dr. Moelleken will advise you as parents to stay alert to your child’s feelings about their protruding ears and not to insist on the surgery until your child wants the change. Children who feel uncomfortable about their ears and desire the surgery are generally more cooperative during the process and happier with the outcome.

Ear deformities are a source of self-consciousness leading to poor adaptation in school for children and poor self-esteem for adults in social and work environments. The techniques used during cosmetic ear surgery can vary since each patient’s concerns are different but one thing is a common factor in all situations: Otoplasty is a procedure that involves art as well as science. Dr. Moelleken believes that with any procedure, the best technique is the one that produces positive and lasting results with low complications. Cosmetic ear surgery is a well-understood operation performed on thousands of people every year and Dr. Moelleken feels especially proud when his patients emerge from their surgery with a renewed confidence and a rejuvenated look. Being able to restore self-esteem in young children as well as adults is rewarding for him as well as the people he operates on.

Often, adults choose this surgery in conjunction with other facial plastic surgical procedures because it is possible for your ears to be reshaped, reduced in size, or made more symmetrical to match other corrective treatments. If you are wondering how Otoplasty can improve the way you look, call today and we will set up your consultation with Dr. Moelleken. Your decision will be life changing, finally allowing you the peace of mind you have always wished for. No longer will you have to look around you and wish you had been born with normal ears. After Otoplasty, your focus will change dramatically and you will be able see more clearly the wonderful things the world has to offer. Through successful ear surgery, you too can join the many patients who have escaped the psychological pain unusual or unsightly ears used to cause them. Ear surgery is very popular because it has a fairly low recovery time so if you are self-conscious about your ears, call Neo Surgery Center today.

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appointment in Beverly Hills or Santa Barbara.

The Beautiful Ear

When evaluating an ear for harmony, multiple views are important. A single perspective can hide deformities seen from other angles so it is important to look at each ear from many different angles. The beautiful ear has a natural look to it. Curves are graceful and the ear should not dominate your frontal profile. There should be a fine margin of the helical rim (back edge) visible from the front and the ear should complement the shape of your head. The projection of the different parts of the ear should blend nicely and the helix (rim of the ear) should have a gentle arch, as sharp folds do not look proportionate.

The beauty of the human ear lies in its position, size, and the relative harmony of its components. The protrusion and shape of your ears can be a factor of human expression and a source of emotion and concern. Different elements of the human ear can be distorted and each person has their own perception of what is beautiful and what is not. For that reason, Dr. Moelleken prefers to individualize his technique for each of his patient’s ear problems. He views the outcome through the eyes of a skilled artist, which he believes is important when performing any cosmetic surgery. Surgical methods vary with each patient and he chooses through a dynamic process, which can change during the surgery itself because there are many factors that go into making your ear look balanced and normal.

There is a scientific approach to what is considered the normal ear. Generally, it may be said the size of auricle is corresponding to the length of nose (approx. 6-6.5 cm). The helical rim is in a line with the nasal root and the end of the earlobe in one line with the nasal base. The shapes and sizes of auricles depend on the sex as women have a much more hollowed, conch-like ear shape, which means the ear is smaller. In men the ear is flatter and thus more outstretched. The differences are also apparent in the shape of earlobes. The ear axis (from the top to the earlobe) should have the same inclination as the nasal edge; however the axis is often more vertical in the population. The auricle width should not exceed half of the ear length. The surgeons use the so-called ear index = 100 x width/length to judge the ear parameters.